Festa Italiana

Experience a taste of Italy in the heart of Birmingham! Celebrate the very first Festa Italiana, hosted by the Italian American Heritage Society, on Saturday, June 15, 2024 from 3 to 10 p.m. at Sloss Furnaces (20 32nd St. N., Birmingham, AL 35222). Come immerse yourself into Italian culture with live music, Italian inspired acts, Italian cuisine, cooking demonstrations, dancing, the Spina Stomp grape stomping event, games and even Italian cars! Enjoy Festa Italiana’s different villages that each offer unique experiences. Festa Italiana is here to celebrate Italian culture in the Birmingham community!

Contests and competitions for attendees are on a first come first serve basis, or by signing up in advance on the website. Bocce Ball, a beloved lawn bowling game, will be available to contestants 12 and up with both competitive games and casual play at no additional cost. Winners will receive a trophy! Join the Spina Stomp Grape Stomping competition and team up to compete for who can extract the most juice from grapes with their bare feet. Additionally, the search for Birmingham’s finest sugo is at Festa Italiana! That’s not all! Attendees will have the opportunity to enter a raffle for the chance to win a nine night trip to Italy for two, including roundtrip airline tickets, transportation and breakfast throughout the trip with a prize value of $11,000. Tickets to win will be on sale online and at the Italian American Society booth for $50 each.

Festa Italiana’s Food Village will fill the air with an irresistible aroma of sausage-and-pepper sandwiches made with freshly fried dough, as well as your favorite Italian desserts, cannolis and creamy gelato. Enjoy popular authentic Italian beverages, such as Tito’s Limoncello, Back 40 Italian Lager, Spina Italian Wines, Brevazzi Italian Soda, ice-cold Coca-Cola products, and many more. Food vendors currently signed up include the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Italian American Heritage Society of Birmingham, Tre Luna Bar & Kitchen, Uncle G's Pizza, Da Big Italian, Pazzo Big Slice, D&M Snow Cones of Alabama, Vecchia Pizzeria & Mercato, Graffeo Brothers Sausage, Cafe Iz, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Arnone's Italian Sausage, Slice Pizza & Brew, Nor-Joe Imports, Dryft Coffee and Luca with more to come! Join this culinary journey through Italy, while indulging in a variety of foods with vibrant flavors.

Festa Italiana’s Villagio Culturale, a replica of an Italian village, will feature a fountain, a church, a bakery, a museum and more. Learn more about Italian heritage with resources on ancestry research and dual citizenship. The Music of Italy village will present jazz stylings of The University of Montevallo Jazz Band with an immersive journey through “A Day in Italy,” presented by Encore Dance. Ken Gilmer will enchant audiences with timeless hits by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin before Festa Headliner, Raz Ma Tazz, will take the stage with a special appearance by Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato.

Advanced general admission tickets are $10 and can be purchased at https://www.festaitalianabham.com/. Day of event general admission tickets are $15. Children 10 and under receive free entry. General admission tickets are for admittance only and do not include food and beverage. It is strongly encouraged to purchase tickets in advance in case the event sells out. Attendees are encouraged to sign up for competitions in advance.

Festa Italiana is sponsored by Jefferson County Commission, State Senator Rodger Smitherman, Sam Spina Importers, Ross Tortorigi, Inc., Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Coca Cola Bottling United, Eventworks, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, Bud Light, Stella Artois, Back Forty, Denise Koch Events, Piggly Wiggly, Cafe Iz, BTC Wholesale Distributors, Baker Camp Arnold Capital Management, Councillor Hunter Williams, Servis First Bank, T-Mobile, Renewal by Andersen, U.S. Army, Southpoint Bank, Carabbas’s Italian Grill, Maniscalco Cosmetic & General Dentistry, Alabama Insurance Agency, LeafGuard and Altec.